Photographer of endangered wildlife in race against time, apathy - CNN.com

Washington (CNN) -- Joel Sartore's photograph of gentle Bryn is a permanent record, but she has been lost forever.

The Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit died in 2008 shortly after the picture was taken. She was the last of her kind.

(See more portraits and read the full article at cnn.com)

Sartore, who has worked for the National Geographic Society for two decades, called the brief shooting session with the doomed rabbit a "solemn occasion," knowing she would not be around much longer.

Bryn is one of dozens of animals profiled in a new book, "Rare: Portraits of America's Endangered Species," by the award-winning photographer.

Sartore, a Nebraska native, traveled the country to get glimpses of 69 species -- red wolves, Hawaiian orchids, hellbenders (a prehistoric-looking salamander), and sea turtles -- all now or once hanging on the verge of extinction.

As the United States celebrated Earth Day on Thursday, Sartore talked with CNN recently about his passion for raising awareness about preserving the variety of animal and plant life before it is too late.

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Photographer of endangered wildlife in race against time, apathy - CNN.com